Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…

Jesus, who, being in the form of God…made Himself of no reputation…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…  Philippians 2:5,6,10

Despite the current political and cultural climate, there is coming a day when every knee will bow to Jesus

Galaxies and grasshoppers; Angels and ants will bow their knees. He is Lord over Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin. He is Lord over the Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians. He is Lord over Bill Gates and Meryl Streep. He is Lord over Bill O’Reilly and Dan Rather. He’s Lord over Oprah and Big Bird. He is Lord over Dr. Ruth, Dr. Kevorkian, and Dr. Seuss. He is Lord over Steven Spielberg and Lady Gaga.

They may not know it yet, but the day is coming when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and ruler of the Kings of the earth!

Even in our day, in the vocabulary of the world, “down” is a word reserved for losers, cowards, and the bear market.  It’s a word to be avoided or ignored.  It’s a word that colors whatever it touches: down and out, downfall, downscale, downhill, downhearted, and worst of all, down under.  It’s a word for the weak, the poor, the losers, or the dead.

From the world’s perspective, up is the only direction to go.  Just as a compass needle points north, the human needle points up; in each heart is a built-in mechanism that craves self-promotion and advancement, the climb of ego.

Do whatever it takes to conquer gravity. Why? Because that is the direction of greatness. That’s what the world says. But, Jesus is a king who descends into greatness. He is unlike any ruler or authority figure the world has ever seen.

All this language of Lord, Kings, and Rulers is a little unnerving to us on a couple of levels. For one thing, we haven’t had a Lord or a King in this country in quite some time. But on a much more personal level, because we are living lives in which folks in authority over us over have abused their power: parents, pastors, coaches, bosses, teachers…many of us have an allergy to authority.

Therefore, we choose to be ruled by the tyranny of the self.

But Jesus is a king, but a king of a different kind. His strategy for conquest is to love us into submission. Jesus rules through forgiveness, love, and grace. He rules by serving even at great cost to Himself. You can trust a king like that.

Listen, there is no room in the house of your life that you can’t feel safe inviting Jesus to enter. There is no secret that you need to worry about when you give it to Jesus. There is no wound, no matter how deep, that you can’t trust in His hands. Why? Because those very hands in which you place your wounded and broken heart are scarred themselves.

If you want to be truly great, then the direction you must go is down.

If you want to be a real follower of Jesus, then express your Christianity the same way Jesus did…think like Jesus thought…act like Jesus acted…have the same attitude or mind that Jesus had.

You develop the same values, the same mindset…you follow in his steps.

What would it look like for you and me to follow Jesus and joyfully descend? In what ways, can we empty ourselves of our time, emotional energy, and material possessions to serve others and give glory to God?

What about grudges? When you are tempted to walk down another aisle at your local grocery rather than come face-to-face with a person who has harmed you. Will you meet them in the produce section and say, “Hi” and give them a hug? That is a person who is following Jesus down as he loves God and serves others.

When you are in an argument and you decide to let the other person get the last word like Jesus did before Herod and Pilate. That is when you are following the humble King down into greatness.

When you show up to a social gathering and instead of wondering how you might make an entrance that lets everyone know that you are now in the building, you look around for the one person who looks like they are alone and decides that you are going to make them feel as if they are the reason the party was thrown. Who here is lonely? Who here is discouraged? That is a moment in which you are imitating the humble king.

Descend into obscurity in the eyes of the world, and greatness in the eyes of God. You won’t be lonely there. That’s where you’ll find the carpenter from Nazareth.